


A Fishy Tail

by DarkShade



Series: The Doctor And The Nurse [2]
Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Aliens, Alternate Universe, Doctor/Companion Friendship, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2020-05-30
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:27:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24462001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkShade/pseuds/DarkShade
Summary: The Doctor takes Rory to see a futuristic medical centre and they stumble into another crazy situation.
Relationships: Tenth Doctor & Rory Williams
Series: The Doctor And The Nurse [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1754761
Comments: 9
Kudos: 29





	A Fishy Tail

**Author's Note:**

> I really enjoy this Universe so, despite the fact I'm meant to be writing other things, I had to write this now.  
> Enjoy

The Doctor smiled leaning against the railing while Rory sat just inside the open doors to the TARDIS staring out at the stars in the galaxy before him.

“This is incredible,” Rory breathed.

“I know,” the Doctor agreed, “It’s why I travel, to see sights like this.”

Rory tore his eyes from the view and turned to look up, “So you travel around space to see what there is?”

“Space,” the Doctor nodded before adding, “And Time.”

Rory jumped to his feet, “Time?”

The Doctor grinned, “Yes.”

“That’s not possible,” Rory stated before he corrected himself, “Okay, box bigger on the inside completely proves the impossible is possible but time travel? That’s real?”

Giving a quick shrug, the Doctor noted, “I do it every so often.”

“That is…” Rory grinned.

The Doctor grimaced, “You don’t want me to take you back to see someone from your past who died, do you? Because that is never a good idea.”

“My mum died in a car accident when I was ten,” Rory told him softly, “And I’d rather remember her the way she was. I was thinking more Ancient Greece or Einstein or Madam Curie…”

“Agatha Christie,” the Doctor suggested.

Rory shrugged, “If you want. I’m not really a fan of murder mysteries.”

The Doctor laughed, “Alright, how about we try something more in your wheelhouse.”

“Okay,” Rory followed him back to the console, “Where are we going?”

With a grin the Doctor hit the lever, “You’re a nurse, why don’t we check out one of the best medical facilities in the Universe.”

Rory stood at the doors to the TARDIS, wishing he’d had time to change out his scrubs before agreeing to come with the insane man who called himself the Doctor, but feeling excited that outside the doors was a new world.

“Are you ready?” the Doctor appeared, sliding his coat on.

“No,” Rory said.

Chuckling the Doctor patted his shoulder, “You’ll be fine.”

Opening the door, he stepped out and motioned Rory to follow him. Taking a deep breath, Rory walked out and found himself in a white room, there were several items that could possibly be chairs coming out from the wall. 

“Where are we?” Rory asked looking around the empty room.

“Seems to be a waiting room,” the Doctor mused, “Come on.”

Rory frowned, “Hold on. Won’t somebody arrest us for breaking in?”

The Doctor wavered slightly, “Maybe but just act like you belong.”

“Doctor,” Rory called as the insane man walked merrily out the door. Wondering what he was doing here and why he’d walked into the box in the first place Rory stared after him.

“Come on, Rory,” the Doctor called, “You won’t see anything interesting in there.”

Slowly walking out the room, Rory found himself in a blank corridor and turned to the Doctor, “What’s interesting in here?”

“Be nice,” the Doctor told him before sighing, “There’s something odd here.”

Rory looked around, seeing an empty corridor on each side, “How can you tell?”

Rolling his eyes, the Doctor motioned Rory to follow him. With a shrug, Rory followed on behind and grimaced as they walked through the door to find several people pointing weapons at them.

“Hello,” he said, “I’m the Doctor and this is Nurse Williams.”

A woman appeared from behind the guards, “You’re the new staff members.”

Glancing at Rory, who looked a bit like a rabbit caught in the headlights, the Doctor nodded, “Yes, we are.”

“I’m Helene Alsop,” she introduced herself, “I’m the Administrator here at Medical Station Alpha. I apologise, we weren’t expecting you until tomorrow, but it is wonderful you’re here. Please follow me.”

“Doctor,” Rory whispered harshly, “What are you doing?”

He smiled at his new friend, “Investigating.”

“Investigating what?” Rory demanded.

“There’s obviously something off here,” the Doctor replied, “The way Helene was so pleased to have an extra doctor and nurse here but there are practically no patients.”

Rory looked around slowly before turning back to him, “What does that mean?”

“I don’t know,” the Doctor said before grinning, “But that’s the fun part.”

An annoyed frown covered Rory’s face, “The fun part?”

They followed the woman along the through the rows of empty beds, Rory frowning in thought at the size of the place.

They reached a large tank and the Doctor felt Rory grab his arm.

“Doctor,” he whispered sharply, “That’s…that’s a mermaid.”

“She’s an Oceanic,” the Doctor murmured to him, “This is their adolescent state, well the one they spend the first 20 odd years if their life, and if you look closely at her tail, you’ll see that she has legs forming.”

“Wow,” Rory breathed.

“So,” the Doctor turned back to the woman standing there expectantly.

Helene smiled, “We’re a little short staffed right now and Iri requires constant monitoring as she finishes her metamorphosis. That is what we require you and Nurse Williams to do.”

With that said she nodded and left them alone.

“That was weird,” Rory said.

Glancing around the room, the Doctor noted the armed guards, the lack of other patients, some scorch marks and sighed.

“What?”

“Don’t panic, Rory,” the Doctor murmured, “But it appears we’re helping keep the young woman hostage.”

The younger man’s eyes bugged out, “WHAT!!!”

The Doctor covered his mouth, “Calm down.”

“You brought me into a hostage situation?” Rory demanded in a harsh whisper, “And made me one of the bad guys.”

With a slight shrug the Doctor turned to the young Oceanic with a bemused frown, “We need to work out who they are and why they’ve done this.”

“Can’t we just get back to the TARDIS and call for help?” Rory demanded.

The Doctor shook his head, “I don’t think we’ll be able to.”

“Doctor…”

“Okay,” the Doctor took Rory by the shoulders, “Look at me. You’re a nurse, do your job while I work everything out.”

Rory glanced over at the men with the guns before looking back at the Doctor and nodded.

Picking up what Rory assumed was the chart he looked at it, frowning as it was basically gibberish.

“Doctor…” he started, stalling as the chart was pulled out of his hands and the Doctor used the pen device he carried on it.

“Try it now,” the Doctor said handing it back.

Looking at it again, Rory smiled to find it was now in English and as he scanned over it, Rory had absolutely no idea what they meant. He managed to find a search engine and searched for details on his patient’s species, realising suddenly that his life had taken the most bizarre turn.

“From what I can tell,” Rory said, “Iri is going through the final stages of her metamorphosis but they’re stalling it. Why would they do that?”

The Doctor spun, “Oh that’s not good.” Before Rory could ask, he continued, “When an Oceanic matures there is a moment where their tail becomes strings of an extremely precious metal called Trilumiut but the final change releases chemicals that creates a chemical reaction changing it to a completely worthless substance. If they wait until the right moment and cut off her tail, they will be rich beyond their wildest dreams.”

“That’s terrible,” Rory grimaced before asking, “Why are they holding it off?” not sure if he wanted the answer of not.

“Holding off the change means the tail continues to grow,” the Doctor sighed, “So they get more money.”

Rory stared at him horrified, “That’s despicable.”

“Yes, it is,” the Doctor replied darkly.

“So, what do we do?”

The Doctor looked at the men standing around before back at his new friend, “I’m sorry, Rory.”

“For what?”

“Bringing you here,” he sighed, “Because I have to ask you to do something dangerous to save that young woman.”

Rory stared at him for a moment before asking, “What do I have to do?”

The Doctor smiled proudly, “You need to help her begin the metamorphosis and be with her through it, no matter what happens.”

“You mean them shooting at us?”

“The Quarantine Bubble should protect you,” the Doctor told him.

Rory looked round again before he said, “Okay. Let’s do it.”

The Doctor knew that Rory was smart, compassionate and had shown the ability to think on his feet. His bravery was something that the Doctor had already seen displayed but this was a real test of the nurse.

“How do I help her?” Rory asked, “Is there anything specific I have to do, or do I just have to stop medication?”

“They will be depriving her of required nutrients in the water,” the Doctor told him, “All you have to do is add them and then stay with her. It’s a hard process that is usually done with a family member, so she needs a comforting presence to get her through this.”

Rory nodded, “Okay.”

“Rory,” the Doctor said softly, “I need to access the system and distract the guards. I won’t be able to help you.”

The young man swallowed before nodding, “I can handle it.”

Resting his hand on Rory’s shoulder for a moment the Doctor gave him a quick nod before letting him enter the quarantine bubble. Once he was sure Rory was safely inside, the Doctor started moving around acting as though he was checking the screens.

Using the sonic he accessed the systems and checked the schematics of the station, it took several minutes but he finally found what he was looking for.

Rory stepped into the bubble, the Doctor’s instructions going round his head as he closed and locked the system. He stared at the young woman swimming in the tank, she had long silvery hair and looked to be close in ages to him. Assuming aliens aged the same as humans did.

“Please,” she whispered, her voice raspy and sad, “Please don’t do this.”

“Oh,” Rory breathed, “No. I’m here to help you.”

Big golden eyes stared at him, “You are?”

He nodded, “I’m Rory.”

“Iri,” she replied softly.

He smiled at her, “I’ve been told I just have to add something to your water.”

“What I need is over there in the cupboard,” Iri pointed across the room.

Rory gave her a comforting smile and moved to find the nutrients she needed. He found a silver container and frowned at the strange writing on it. But as there was nothing else that could possibly be what he was looking for.

“What do I need to do?” Rory asked when he returned to the tank.

Iri smiled at him, “Just pour it in the water.”

Shrugging Rory did as instructed, watching the water glow and sparkle as Iri let out a sigh of relief.

“How long will this take?” he asked.

“It depends,” she replied, “But it should not take long now you have provided the nutrients.”

Rory glanced out where the armed men were standing, wondering where the Doctor was. Turning back when the woman in the tank gave a soft cry, Rory focussed on his patient.

“So,” the Doctor said, as he joined Helene who turned surprised, “Keeping an Oceanic to cut off her tail. That is a special kind of despicable.”

Helene stared at him, “You’re getting paid enough.”

“You know,” the Doctor laughed, tapping the sonic screwdriver off his hand, “You really need to check credentials.”

Surprise covered her face before she motioned to the guards, “And you should not expose yourself as a fraud when I have people who can shoot you without hesitation.”

“Now…now just wait…wait a second,” the Doctor held up his hands, “I just have one tiny thing to say.”

“Which is?” a superior smile touched her lips.

Activating the sonic, the Doctor smirked, “You really shouldn’t have left me alone to get into the security system.”

Forcefields sprung up blocking all the thugs with guns, several of who tried to shoot their way out.

“You think you’re so clever,” Helene glared at him, “But I made sure I had a contingency plan in case anybody tried to interfere with my plan.” Holding up a remote control she pressed the first button, “That has locked the Quarantine Bubble. And the next button I’m about to hit will fill it with a toxic gas that will kill both the Oceanic and your friend.”

“No,” the Doctor snapped, “If you even dare, I will…” he trailed off when Helene pushed the button. Spinning the Doctor saw the gas beginning to fill the Quarantine Bubble, “Rory!!!!”

Rory took Iri’s hand as her metamorphosis began, “It’s okay. You’re not alone.”

Iri smiled, “Thank you.”

He nodded checking the machines for Iri’s vitals, “I think everything is fine for now.”

A loud click made them both turn to the door, just before hissing came from above.

“Rory!!!!!” the Doctor yelled, “It’s filling with toxic gas.”

Panic filled him and his eyes locked with the Doctor’s.

“Come on,” Rory said to Iri, “We have to get out of here.”

“I can’t,” she whispered, “I can’t leave the water until I’ve completed my change. I can breathe under water and there is a release that will empty my tank into another part of the centre. Get out and hit the release button. I’ll be fine.”

Rory saw the Doctor trying to open the doors, “Doctor?”

“The doors won’t open. They’re dead lock sealed,” the Doctor cried panicked before he stared at them, “I’m sorry, Rory. I’m so sorry.”

Rory glanced at the woman in the water before turning back to the Doctor, “There’s a release for the tank,” he said softly, “Get Iri out of here.”

With sadness covering his face, the Doctor followed his instructions but as the hatch opened, Iri grabbed Rory’s hand and pulled him sharply towards her, off-balance Rory tumbled into the water. Before he could panic Iri’s lips were on his and her arms wrapped around him holding him close when the force of the water dragged them down and into the tunnel.

The Doctor let out a sigh of relief when he saw Iri pull Rory into the water and, now he was assured the young man was safe, he turned to Helene.

“You were saying?” he asked, deceptively calmly.

She faltered before shrugging, “So, are you going to call the authorities? How do you know they don’t already work for me?”

“Because I called the Oceanics,” he smirked, “And from memory they do not take lightly to people attacking one of their own.”

Before she could reply, noise filled the room as soldiers appeared.

“And that will be them,” the Doctor replied with a dark smile, “Be thankful that they’re the ones dealing with you.”

*********************************************

Rory gasped as he was pulled out the water, he wasn’t exactly afraid of water, but he had never been one to swim in the deep end of the pool.

“Thank you,” he breathed to Iri, who was leaning on the edge of the tank.

She gave him a flirtatious smile, “I normally never kiss on the first date, but these were special circumstances.”

Rory felt his cheeks flush as he smiled back.

“Thank you for helping me,” Iri told him sincerely, “I was sure I was going to die there.”

Rory shrugged, “I helped you and you saved me, I think we’re even.”

Pushing herself up slightly, Iri kissed him again. When they parted, she fell back into the water and began to swim again.

Turning he found the Doctor grinning at him.

“Shut up,” Rory said as he moved to the other man who, to Rory’s surprise, hugged him tightly.

The Doctor released him and patted Rory’s arm, “Let’s get back to the TARDIS and you can dry off.”

Looking down at his soaking wet clothes, Rory nodded in agreement and followed him through the corridors to the TARDIS.

“This is the second insane situation we’ve been in since I met you,” Rory noted as they entered the TARDIS, “And I met you this morning.”

The Doctor shrugged, “This wasn’t that bad to be honest.”

“Really?”

“You got to see some new medical technology,” the Doctor noted, “Met new species,” he grinned slyly, “Snogged a mermaid.”

Rory flushed, “She…”

“All in all,” the Doctor laughed, “Not a bad day.”

The Doctor chuckled as he watched his new friend blush.

“Here,” he found the towel he kept in the control room, a lesson he’d learned after several incidents over the years, “Dry off and I’ll take you home.”

Rory took the towel and rubbed his hair dry, “Home…yeah that’ll be good.”

Flipping the lever, the Doctor aimed the TARDIS for Rory’s flat. Hoping that she didn’t decide to take them on a detour. The TARDIS landed and he opened the door finding they were on the right street and about ten minutes after they’d left.

“Here we are,” the Doctor said as Rory followed him out the doors, “Home sweet home.”

“Yeah,” Rory sighed. They stood in silence for several minutes before Rory shrugged, “Thanks for taking me there. It was…incredible.”

The Doctor nodded, “Glad you had fun.”

“Not the word I would use,” Rory chuckled softly, “But it was amazing to see another world.”

The Doctor mused for a moment before asking, “You know, if you want, you could come and travel with me for a while. Maybe see a few more places.”

“What?” Rory demanded in amazement.

“I was thinking,” the Doctor said as nonchalantly as possible, “We could go see one of the historic events you wanted to.”

Rory stared at him before shaking his head, “I can’t. I have to work. My next shift is in two days.”

“Time travel,” the Doctor reminded him, “I can get you back in perfect time.”

He could see Rory battling with himself before the younger man said, “Can I change first?”

“Definitely,” the Doctor grinned, “And you might want to pack a bag.”

The Doctor wandered Rory’s small flat while the younger man took a shower. It was small, and exceedingly neat. From what the Doctor had observed of his new friend, it didn’t surprise him. There were a few pictures dotted around the room. One of a blonde woman who, from her clothes, the Doctor assumed to be Rory’s mother. None of his father and a picture of Rory graduating with an older woman likely to be his grandmother.

And then there were several pictures of a young redheaded woman, every picture had a few people in it, but she was the centre of each one. Picking one up the Doctor studied it.

“That’s Amy,” Rory said, appearing from his bedroom, dressed in jeans and a checked shirt with a bag slung over his shoulder.

The Doctor noted, “Your adventurous friend.”

Rory smiled fondly at the photograph when the Doctor handed it to him, “Yes.” Placing the photo back where it belonged Rory nodded, “I’m ready.”

“Then let’s go.”


End file.
